Gravity-railroad



No. 608,787. Patented Aug. 9', I898. J. MURREY.

GRAVITY RAILROAD.

(Application filed Mar. 8, 1897.) (N 0 M o d e I 2 Sheets-Sheet L No. 608,787. Patented Aug. 9, I898. J. MURREY.

GRAVITY RAILROAD.

(Application filed Mar. 8, 1897.) (No Modal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

lllNrrnn TATES arnnr rricn.

JASPER MURREIZVOF CLEVELAND, OIIIO.

G RAVlTY-RAI LROAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,787, dated August 9, 1898.. Application filed March 8, 1897. erial No. 626,373. (No model.)

To all whom it 717,607, concern:

Be it known that I, JASPER MURREY, a citizen of the United States,residin g at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railroads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and @2- act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains'to make and use the same.

My invention is for a railroad for transport ing passengers or freight. It is especially adapted for a gravity-railroad, though some of its features are applicable to railroads operated in other manners. V

One of the objects of the invention is to sup ply a railroad which may be operated solely by gravity and by motive power located at intervals along the route and in which the cars may be run continuously or may be caused to stop at stations, according to the governing of that motive power.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for holding a car to its track, whereby a high speed may be safely attained.

Another object is to provide an eflicient track which may be cheaply constructed.

The invention consists, in part, of a suitable track slowly descending in long stretches and rapidly rising in short stretches and motive power located at the short stretches and adapted to automatically grip a car upon the track and draw it up the short stretch and automatically release it at the top and give it an impulse, whereby it starts down the next long stretch and descends it at an accelerated speed by gravity.

The invention consists also of the combinations of essential parts provided for the ac complishment of this and the other objects above specified.

The operation of those parts is hereinafter explained,and they are definitely enumerated in the claims.

The drawings show the best embodiment of my invention at present known to me.

Figure l is a side elevation, thereof. Figs.

' 2 and 3 are cross-sections on the lines 2 2 and 3, respectively, of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are short steep incline, the former figure showing also the guide which holds the chain upto its work. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the lower portion of a car on the track, the same being shown horizontally for convenience'of illustration. Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the car. Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the supporting-wheels. Fig. 9 is a detail of the mechanism for drivingthe chain, and Fig. 10 of the eccentric arrangement by which that mech anism is governed.

Similarletters of reference designate similar parts in each figure.

Referring to the parts by letters, A repre sents the track, composed ofthe slowly-descending long stretch a and the rapidly-rising short stretch a, it being understood, of course,

that the long stretch is a great deal longer in proportion to the short stretch than the drawings show. The grade of the long stretch is governed by the speed desired or by local conditions. The short stretch I prefer to make about as steep as is comfortable for the passengers and of sufiicient length to bring the track to substantially the same elevation as the top of the long stretch in the absence of special circumstances requiring a different elevationas, for instance, when another track is to be crossed. At the head of the short stretch is a portion a of the track which is nearly horizontal, but slants a little toward the short stretch. The purpose of this slight slant is to prevent a car on this portion of the track, which is the place where the car is designed to stop, from being carried by momentum down the succeeding incline a after the driving power has ceased to operate. This track A, I construct in a manner, once economical and efiicient. Mounted on the top of posts B, of suitable construction, are the longitudinally-extending I-beams O and O, the upper surfaces 0 of which constitute the rails upon which the car runs. Between the two I-beams O and C at the supporting-posts are framed in, by means of the an gle-irons d d, the cross I-beams D. At intermediate points the I-beams C and O are locked together by means of the tubular strut E, consisting, preferably, of a piece of gas-pipe, and thetie-rod F, extending through the pipe and the Web of the beams and having the nuts f on its ends.

Secured at frequent intervals to the webs of the I-beams O and C are the brackets G, formed substantially as shown and having their upper ends g inclined inwardly. To the inner face of these ends g are secured longitudinal guide-rails I-I. These guide-rails are parallel longitudinally with the I-beams forming the track, while transversely they stand with their face at an angle of about sixty degrees to the upper surface of the I-beams.

The car is made in any desired shape. I prefer to have its ends shaped as shown, so that it will encounter little resistance from the air, and so that the pressure of the air 011 the inclined roof will be in the direction to hold the car down to the track. Beneath the car are fourindependent caster-wheels J. These wheels have simple cylindrical periphcries and are castered by means of the arms pivoted on the vertical pivot j, which extends downward from the boss 7' suitably secured to the floor-beam of the car. In order that this arm may turn freely on its pivot, I provideaball-bearing, (shown atjfl) the balls bearing against the pivot-pin, against the race formed in the arm j, and against -the lower surface of the boss 3' The wheels J being castered will of course follow in the direct line of the pivots j, and hence the car, being otherwise guided, will always keep the track, while responding immediately to any lateral movement of the car caused by its passing around a curve. Hence the necessity of flanges on either the wheels or the track is obviated. Fig. 2 indicates the wheels J in position directly above the web of the I-beams.

The car is guided by the bevel-wheels K, (suitably mounted on vertical pivots on the under side of the ear,) which bear against the guide-rails 1-1. These wheels and rails not only guide the car laterally, but insure its remaining firmly on the track and hold it to the lifting-chain when passing up the steep stretch a of the track. There is considerable play between the peripheries of the bevelwheels and the guide-rails. This produces the following result in operation: If one of the bevel-wheels is against its guide-rail, there will be more friction at that point than at the opposite side, where there is no such contact, and this will cause the car to draw away from the first guide-rail to said opposite side. As the be vol-wheels touch the opposite guide-rail the car will draw back as it travels, and so on, and hence will center itself midway between the guide-rails, the bevel-wheels only touching occasionally or when the track is not quite level.

The construction of track and guides and ear I have described may of course be used on other railroads than those operated by gravity.

I will now describe the mechanism which operates to elevate the car up the short steep stretch of track a after is has reached the foot of the long stretch a.

M represents an endless belt, made as a sprocket chain of suitable construction, guided by suitable wheels on up the stretch of track a and along the nearly horizontal stretch 0, This chain is supported on these two stretches by the guide m over which it slides longitudinally. The chain is driven by any desired motor, as N, capable of being properly governed. The motorIhave shown consists of a sprocket-wheel a, mounted on a shaft 71', on which shaft is also mounted the friction wheel of. This friction wheel is driven by contact with the continuouslydriven wheel a One end of the shaft n is journaled eccentrically in sleeve 11 in a bearing a. An operating-lever it extends from this sleeve. A stationary brake shoe n stands opposite the periphery of the frictionwheel n hen the lever 11 is in the position shown, the wheels 01 and n are in contact, and hence the sprocket-wheel a and the chain M are continuously driven. Then it is desired to stop the chain absolutely, the lever at is turned over to the other side of the bearing 91 and this withdraws the wheel 02 from contact with the wheel a and brings it into contact with the brake-shoe n Between these two extremes the wheel 11 may be caused to engage in slipping contact with either the wheel 72 or the brake-shoe, or to be clear of either, and thus its movement may be governed as desired.

Secured at suitable intervals to the sprocketchain M on that side which is uppermost on the stretches a and a are the lugs m, adapted to engage with a suitable pawl or dog on the under side of the car and thereby drive the latter. This pawl consists, preferably, of the flat bar P, having trunnions 19 extending from its sides near one end, which trunnions are journaled in sleeves p, surrounding studs p projecting from a beam on the under side of the car. Between the sleeves and beam are the buffer-springs 19 while to the ends of the studs are secured nuts p locking the sleeves and springs in place. A hook 19 projecting through a slot Win the pawl or other suitable means, holds the pawl from descending too far when not in contact with the chain. I have shown two of these pawls, and such is the preferred number, though one might be sufficient, or, if desired, more than two could be used.

In operation the car descends the stretch of trark a by gravity and begins to pass up the stretch a by momentum. At this point one or both of the pawls P engage with lugs on the sprocket-chain, the springs 12 preventing jarring, and the car is thus driven by the chain up the incline a onto the nearly horizontal stretch a If it is desired to stop the car at this point, which is at the stationplatform, the friction-wheel n is thrown over from contact with the wheel a to the shoe 02 The slight incline of the stretch a overcomes the momentum of the car, and the same remains stationary at the platform, being held by the chain. A reversal of the lever it causes the sprocket-chain to travel and the car to be drawn forward to the beginning of the next slowing descending incline a and given an impulse for the next stretel1,wl1iel1it descends by gravity, as before. It will thus be seen that the stopping of a car at a station is under the control of the station attendant, and hence it is unnecessary to have a trainman on the car. in operating expenses. The running arrange ments may be varied as desired. The cars may stop regularly at predetermined intermediate stations, or they may be run through from one terminal to the other without stopping. If desired, the arrangement may be for them to stop only on signal or to receive passengers, and in that case a suitable signal may be provided to be operated by the passengers.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a railroad, a stretch of track composed of a pair of flangeless supporting-rails, a car on said track, said car having at least four flangeless wheels resting two on one rail and two on the other, said wheels supporting the car, in combination with guiderails longitudinally parallel with the track, said car having also guide-wheels independent of the supporting-wheels, the surfaces of said guiderails against whichsaid guide-wheels bear being transversely inclined to the plane of the track,and thereby adapted to receive from the guide wheels both a horizontal thrust crosswise of the track caused by a tendency of the car to move laterally, and a vertical thrust caused by a tendency of the car to leave the track, said guide-wheels not supporting the car and said supporting-wheels not guiding it, substantially as described.

2. In a railroad, in combination, a stretch of track, guide-rails longitudinally parallel with the track, a car on said track, beveled guide-wheels carried by said car on substantially vertical axes, said guide-rails being inclined to the plane of the track, their upper edges being nearer to the axes of the bevelwheels than their lower, whereby said guide rails and wheels guide the car laterally and confine it to the track, substantially as described.

3. In a railway, a stretch of track consisting of a pair of flan geless supporting-rails and a pair of guide-rails longitudinally parallel with the track and laterally inclined thereto, in combination with a car supported on the track by fiangeless wl1eels,an d carrying guidewheels on substantially vertical axes, said guide-wheels having their peripheral surface beveled, the incline of said guide-rails being substantially parallel with such beveled surface, and such beveled surface being adapted to engage with said guide-rails, substantially as described.

4. In a railway, a stretch of track consisting of a pair of flangeless supporting-rails and a separate pair of guide-rails supported above the plane of the track in a position longitudi- This is of course a great savingtrack by flangeless wheels and having gnidewheels depending between said guide-rails, said guide-wheels being journaled on arms at an angle to that of the supporting-wheels and having their peripheral surface beveled, the incline of the bevel being such as to be substantially parallel with the surface of the guide-rails with which they are adapted to engage, substantially as described.

5. In a railway, a stretch of track consisting of a pair of flangeless supporting-rails held in rigid position with respect to each other and a pair of guide-rails located above the plane of the track and outside of the lines of tread thereof in a position longitudinally parallel with the track and laterally inclined so that their upper edges are nearer together than their lower, in combination with a car supported on the track by fiangeless wheels and having guide-whecls carried on the under side of the car between said guide-rails, said guide-wheels having their outer sides adapted to contact with said guide-rails, said guidewheels being beveled at an incline to correspond with the guide-rails, substantially as described.

(3. In a railway, a stretch of track consisting of flangeless supporting-rails and a pair of guide-rails, located outside and above the track, said guide-rails being longitudinally parallel with the track and inclined inward upwardly, in combination with a car supported on the track by fiangeless wheels and having guide-wheels, the rolling surfaces of which are adapted to engage with the inner faces of said guide-rails, there being play between said guide-wheels and guide-rails, said parts cooperating to produce the following effect, namely, that said supporting rails and wheels do not prevent the car shifting laterally, and said guide rails and wheels are adapt ed to guide the car laterally, and also prevent it from leaving the track vertically upward, while said car is adapted under certain conditions to run with its guide-wheels out of contact with the guide-rails and thus be relieved of guiding friction, substantially as described.

7. In a railroad, a pair of parallel rails, and guide-rails longitudinally parallel there with, in combination with a car supported on .the rails by castered wheels, the pivot of which to the car is out of line with the journal of the wheel, said car having guide-wheels adapted to contact with the guide-rails, there being play between the guide wheels and rails whereby the car may, to some extent, shift laterally, which shifting owing to the pivoting of the supporting-wheels does not necessitate said wheels sliding laterally, substantially as described.

8. In a railroad, a stretch of track composed of a pair of parallel rails, a car, arms pivotally carried by said car, and wheels IIO adapted to rest on said rails and journaled in said arms on substantially horizontal journals, the axial lines of which do not intersect with the axial lines of the pivots of the arms whereby in the movement of the car the Wheels track on the rails, said car having independent guide-wheels in combination With guiderails longitudinally parallel With the track, and With which said guide-Wheels are adapted to contact, substantially as described.

9. A railway-track consisting of a pair of flangeless rails O 0 held in rigid position with respect to each other, brackets G secured to the outside of said rails and projecting upward above and outside of the tread of said rails and inclined guide-rails II sup- JASPER MURREY.

Witnesses:

ALBERT I-I. BATES, E. L. THURSTON. 

